SiRT not investigating actions of police at fatal accident

Cape Breton Regional Police are not being investigated by the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) in relation to a fatal motor vehicle accident early Sunday morning.

The accident resulted in the death of 17-year-old Joneil Hanna from North Sydney, who was walking home from a grad party when hit.

“SiRT has not been asked to investigate,” confirmed spokesperson Felix Cacchione, in a phone interview with the Cape Breton Post.

He said the mandate of SiRT is to investigate “serious incidents involving police” such as a car accident involving a police vehicle or someone breaking an arm during an arrest.

People in the community have voiced outrage at police who responded to Sunday’s accident, which happened around 3 a.m., because police didn’t give the driver of the vehicle a breathalyzer test. Police say they did not issue a breathalyzer demand was because they had no reasonable cause to do so.

Through social media, many people have stated they believe the fact there was a grad party with a large number of people close by should have been enough reasonable cause, but Cacchione said it is not .

“Because an incident occurs one or two kilometres from a party doesn’t provide reasonable grounds that the person was intoxicated from alcohol or drugs.”